Image analysis addresses harmful algal blooms3 April 2017Harmful algal blooms are the rapid and uncontrolled growth of algae in either freshwater or marine environments and can cause significant harm to human health, animals, the environment and economies. A team of researchers from the Bristol Vision Institute (BVI) at the University of Bristol has been awarded a major grant by the British Council to produce monitoring and early warning systems for harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as red tides.

Bristol academic awarded the Kieran Sweeney Prize31 March 2017Dr Trevor Thompson, GP and Head of Teaching at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, has won the Royal College of General Practitioners' 2016 Kieran Sweeney Prize for medical writing by GPs.

Eradicating child poverty in Africa30 March 2017A team from Bristol Poverty Institute, a new specialist research institute at the University of Bristol set up to tackle global poverty, have been working with UNICEF to provide technical advice and assistance to the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics (UBoS) and the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) to help integrate multidimensional child poverty measures into Ugandan National Statistics.

Bristol enterprise leader named in UK’s top 100 30 March 2017Director of Bristol’s iconic Engine Shed, Nick Sturge, has been announced in the Sunday Times prestigious Maserati 100 index; a list of game-changing entrepreneurs who are disrupting the business world.

Composites advance at Bristol29 March 2017Composites are the materials of the future and are critical to reducing weight, energy consumption and the generation of CO2 in transport applications. Research at Bristol Composites Institute (ACCIS) at the University of Bristol, a newly created Specialist Research Institute (SRI), is delivering new technology and innovation through its research programmes, which will benefit future fuel emissions.

Strengthening ties with China’s universities29 March 2017Developing links with China’s universities will be a key focus when leaders and academics from the University of Bristol travel to China next month for the Graduation Celebration in Beijing.

Over €9M in European grants awarded to Bristol academics29 March 2017The European Research Council (ERC) will award a total of €9M in grants to Bristol academics under its Advanced Grant scheme. These grants support exceptional, professorial-level research leaders in undertaking ground-breaking, high-impact research projects.

Therapies that target dementia in early stages critical to success28 March 2017Targeting dementia in the earlier stages of the condition could be critical for the success of future therapies, say researchers from the University of Bristol, who have found that the very earliest symptoms of dementia might be due to abnormal stability in brain cell connections rather than the death of brain tissue, which comes after.

Speedy science students shortlisted27 March 2017A film produced by PhD students from the University of Bristol has been shortlisted for the BBC Focus Prize at this year’s Bristol Science Film Festival.

Bristol’s heritage and horticulture revealed 27 March 2017The rich horticultural history and biodiversity of some of Bristol’s most beautiful gardens will be revealed to the public through a series of guided tours and events, starting next month.

No 'weekend admission effect' for the elderly sustaining broken hips in the NHS27 March 2017New research has found NHS patients admitted to hospital at the weekend with a hip fracture are at no greater risk of death compared to weekdays. In fact, the risk of death during the hospital stay was lower at the weekend than in the week. Only a delay to surgery; undergoing surgery on a Sunday, when provision for operations in many hospitals is less, being discharged from hospital on a Sunday; or out of hours were associated with an increased risk of death at 30 days.

Major breakthrough in the manufacture of red blood cells24 March 2017Researchers have generated the first immortalised cell lines which allow more efficient manufacture of red blood cells. The team, from the University of Bristol and NHS Blood and Transplant, were able to manufacture red blood cells in a more efficient scale than was previously possible.

Is there a link between telomere length and cancer?23 March 2017Telomeres are regions of repetitive DNA at the end of human chromosomes, which protect the end of the chromosome from damage. Whilst shorter telomeres are hypothesized biological markers of older age and have been linked to many diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases, whether these associations are causal is unknown.

Scientists look to AI for help in peer review21 March 2017Peer review is a cornerstone of the scientific publishing process but could artificial intelligence help with the process? Computer scientists from the University of Bristol have reviewed how state-of-the-art tools from machine learning and artificial intelligence are already helping to automate parts of the academic peer-review process.

Researchers to create biomimetic forebrain for 3D-printed robot hands21 March 2017A team of researchers is to develop a biomimetic forebrain for controlling 3D-printed robot hands with a sense of touch. They aim to create a biomimetic forebrain based on computer modelling of a mammal’s neural system that communicates touch in humans and animals, and use this to perform general manipulation tasks in robots.

Virtual Futures: Where is Virtual Reality taking us?20 March 2017Virtual Reality – or VR - has long been the idea of science fiction but now it is happening and the impact on society is potentially huge. The University of Bristol and the Digital Cultures Research Centre at University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) are sponsoring a special track at this year’s VR World Congress [Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 April] to encourage debate into what this may mean for everyone.